Where to stay in Bradenton, FL?

September 13, 2007 9:30 AM

Where to stay in Bradenton, FL? I've got training sessions at 8985 Towncenter Pkwy and I'd like to see the gulf out my window, maybe walk on the beach, and have no more than a 20 minute drive to the training center. Any ideas? Any thoughts as to what the weather might be like around the first of November?
posted by kc0dxh to Travel & Transportation around Bradenton, FL (6 answers total)

Casey Key, Florida (Sarasota/Nokomis area) is awesome, although it breaks your 20 minute drive rule. I think the commute would be more around 35 minutes. There are some small beachy hotels on Casey Key and also houses you can rent (although the houses will be pricey to rent). You have the Gulf on one side and the Bay on the other. Take a walk along the beach and search for sharks teeth. Get up early enough for your stroll and you're bound to see dolphins feeding right off the shore. You could rent jet skis one day and use them Bay side. Stephen King had/has a house on Casey Key. Brooke Shields and Andre Agassi used to and so did John Gotti (but he got himself arrested and has since died).

Weather will most likely be perfect - 70s to 80s.
posted by Sassyfras at 9:41 AM on September 13, 2007

The weather will be temperate. The water will probably be too cold to swim in, but only barely. The biggest annoyance will be wind and its effects, probably.
posted by cmiller at 10:18 AM on September 13, 2007

You won't be able to see the gulf out your window in 20 minutes. Sorry, it just can't be done.
Sarasota Bay, maybe, but not the gulf. Your best bets (if you actually want a gulf view) are Longboat and Casey Keys, each about 30-35ish minutes away.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 11:48 AM on September 13, 2007

You can get an exquiste view of Sarasota Bay from the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota -- really one of the most beautiful views you can imagine.

Again, it's more than 20 minutes to Bradenton. It also costs an arm and a leg, but if the company is paying...
posted by dzot at 1:14 PM on September 13, 2007

Ah, the weather will be nice. The nights might be cooler, but days will be pleasant. When I used to live in Sarasota I did all my Christmas shopping in short sleeves.
posted by konolia at 6:54 PM on September 13, 2007

Anna Maria Island, or Long Boat Key, both west of Bradenton.
posted by bilabial at 8:09 AM on September 17, 2007